


Can We Keep Him?

by SerenitySky



Category: Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Superfamily, kid!Peter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-21
Updated: 2012-12-21
Packaged: 2017-11-21 21:09:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/602110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SerenitySky/pseuds/SerenitySky
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Peter is constantly bringing home new pets, but can he convince his dads to let him keep this one?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Can We Keep Him?

“Daddy! Papa! Can we keep him?” 

Those words seemed to be all the two men had been hearing since five-year-old Peter discovered the wonders of the backyard animal kingdom. Every day it was something new: a toad, a mouse, a newt, a turtle, even a baby bird once, and every time they had to tell their smiling, mud-splattered little boy that, no, they could not keep him and that he had to be put back outside. And every time a crestfallen Peter would solemnly nod and go with his dads to let the little thing go. Then they would clean Peter up, he would be sad for a little bit, but he would bounce back soon enough. What confused Steve and Tony the most was how so many creatures made it into their city backyard. 

In any case, when Tony heard the all too familiar words, “Daddy! Come see what I found!” coming from the back door, he expected the same old song and dance. This time however, when the billionaire walked to the patio door, he found that Peter had brought something a little bigger—and cuter—home. Squirming in the arms of a dirty Peter was an even dirtier puppy. He might have been black and white once, a border collie, but he was so scruffy and filthy that he was almost completely a dismal grey. Peter was beaming as if he’d never found anything better in the world. 

“Daddy, can we keep him? Pleeeaaase?” 

Tony sighed, “No Peter, we can’t keep him. You know the rules: no pets.” 

He pouted, “But look at him! He’s so little and hungry.” 

Tony shook his head. “I’m sorry kiddo.” 

The little boy’s eyes began to fill with tears, “But…but…” 

Sensing his discomfort, the puppy whined and licked his chin, to which Peter giggled. 

“See?” He said pointedly. “He likes me.” 

He stared at the pair for a moment, until he decided that it was too cute for him to deal with. 

“Steve!” 

“Papa!” 

Apparently both of them thought Steve was the most capable of dealing with the situation and of swinging things in their own favour. Moments later, the Captain came around the corner. 

“Hey guys, what’s going on?” 

Tony pointed to Peter, “Tell your son that we absolutely can’t have pets in the house.” 

Peter turned to Steve with big eyes and pointed at Tony, “Papa, tell your husband that we can’t just leave Copper outside on his own!” 

Steve raised an eyebrow at Tony and smirked as if to say _‘So he’s my son you say?’_

Tony just rolled his eyes and muttered, “Great, he’s named it already.” 

Steve just shook his head and kneeled so he was at eye level with his son, a slight, gentle smile still present on his face. 

“So this is…Copper?” 

Peter nodded, “Mm-hm. I named him after the puppy in our favourite movie.” 

Steve smiled even wider at that; he and Tony, well, mostly just Steve, had gone on a Disney binge right before they brought Peter home, and the _Fox & the Hound_ almost immediately became his and Peter’s movie. 

“I really want to keep him, Papa. I promise I’ll take care of him, I will I will!” 

Despite the pleading and need in his son’s voice, Steve had to persist. “You know we can’t keep him, right Peter?” Cap gave him a gentle look. 

Peter understood and sorrowfully looked down. “I know Papa…” he replied quietly. 

“We’ll go put him back outside now, okay?” 

He nodded slowly, not looking up. Steve stood and they all went outside where Peter slowly put down the puppy. He scratched Copper’s ears for a moment and then slowly followed his dads back into the house. 

—— 

It had been a few days since the Copper incident and Tony was in the middle of making Peter a grilled cheese for lunch while Steve sat at the table watching Peter colour. 

Through the patio door, Steve could see that the sky was quickly darkening. “Looks like there’s a storm coming,” he sighed, “and a big one by the looks of it.” 

Peter looked out the window, wide-eyed, and suddenly bolted from his chair and down the hall to his room. The two men glanced at one another, thoroughly confused by their son’s actions. 

Tony turned to Steve, spatula in hand, “I didn’t think Peter was still scared of thunderstorms.” 

Cap nodded in agreement. They were about to follow him when he came running back with his favourite blanket in hand. He didn’t even glance at his dads as he made a beeline for the back door, opening it, and proceeding to run outside just as a large clap of thunder sounded. 

“Peter!” 

They rushed after him, to the far end of the deck where they saw the little boy crawl through a hole in the side of the latticework. 

Steve bent down and peered in first, “Peter, what are you-” But he stopped when he saw Peter ever so carefully tucking his blanket around a familiar, shaking puppy. He also noticed an almost empty sippy cup with the lid pried off and a small plastic plate that had gone missing earlier that week. 

Tony kneeled beside his husband and finished his thought for him, “What are you doing there, kiddo?” 

Peter glanced at his dads almost shamefully before turning back to the puppy. “Copper came back and he looked hungry so I gave him food.” He paused. “I brought him my blanket so he wouldn’t be scared by Uncle Thor.” 

Steve smiled gently at his son’s kindness, “Peter…” 

“Can’t we just bring him inside? He’s all alone!” 

Tony tried to rationalize the situation, “He might have a family somewhere else that he needs to go back to.” 

“But he would have gone back to his daddy and papa by now!” By this point the toddler was in tears, “He would have tried to go back and find them, but he can’t because they’re gone!” 

That stopped the two men. Still sobbing, Peter continued, “He’ll be alone forever with no one to love him, or to make his favourite supper, or play with his favourite toys, or tell him stories before he goes to bed, or cuddle him when there are monsters in his closet, or…or…” The little boy couldn’t talk anymore, he was crying so much. 

The whole scene was breaking Cap’s heart. They couldn’t just let this puppy go, not when Peter… 

“Tony…” 

“C’mere Copper.” 

The soft voice of the philanthropist startled Steve as he watched Tony gently open his arms and pick up the puppy who scrambled to get to him. He scratched Copper’s ears and made a motion with his head, “Let’s go inside kiddo.” 

Peter’s face immediately brightened. “Really?!” he sniffled. 

Steve smiled and opened his arms for Peter to crawl into and proceeded to wrap the youngster in a tight hug, “Really really.” 

Later that night, after they had cleaned and fed the two youngsters the men put them to sleep. They were standing in the doorway of Peter’s bedroom watching as he slept with his arm curled protectively around Copper, who was snuggled close beside the boy. 

They gazed at the peaceful scene for a while when Steve began, “Tony, why-” 

Tony shrugged, eyes not leaving the sleeping pair, “We had to do it Steve. Who else is going to hug him when he dreams of the bad guys coming out of his closet?” 

Steve just smiled knowingly and wrapped his arms around Tony from behind, placing a gentle kiss on his husband’s head. 

“I love you,” he whispered in his ear. 

Tony smirked, but only a little bit, and closed his eyes blissfully and sighed. He placed his hands on top of Steve’s, “I know. I love you too.”


End file.
